


Red Is The Color of Womanhood

by Milkteach



Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Women, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gen, Post-War, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-16 13:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15438498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkteach/pseuds/Milkteach
Summary: Some nights when her scar throbs, foreboding a coming rain, she wonders what has become of that girl's fate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "I came hoping to see those eyes, but instead I return with my heart, leaving behind only flowers."  
> \- Kim Dong Hwa-

She sees him in Kiri, black cloak shrouding non descript clothes. Uchiha Sasuke stands amongst townsfolk and their mundane habits, looking intently at the market stalls. No one would suspect that three years ago, he embattled a goddess, waged a war, and saved an entire nation all in a day. But Karin knows of course, feels his Chakra even before she sees him, sharp and electric like thunderstorms on an open sea.

When news broke out that Sasuke has left Konoha after being pardoned, Karin hoped with a renewed  sense of vigor that he will return to her team, that they will pick up where they left off,  living above every village's rotten system, just the way he envisioned it. She clung to that dream even as time passed with no sign of the once infamous shinobi. So she waits and waits, not minding the years. 

Today, all that waiting will come to an end. Today, Karin will not waste her chance. 

She was about to call his name. Kami, she missed saying it, those syllables entirely his, when suddenly, another figure sidles next to the Uchiha.

Karin's voice dies in her throat. 

Pink locks. Fair skin. Red qipao under a brown cloak. And had the woman turned, the most verdant pair of eyes she has ever seen. It is an odd familiarity she shares with this woman. They are enemies, for all intents and purposes, yet not each other's villain. Their histories spoke of neither personal vendettas nor instinctual animosities . They are simply two women, standing at counterpoints in a war they were both born into. 

As fate, in its morbid humor would have it, this woman saved her. On a bridge where Sasuke once lost himself, Sakura, Karin recalls her name all of a sudden, Haruno Sakura healed her from death all the while crying over a boy driven into cursed madness by betrayal. Karin survived that day with a hole in her chest and the knowledge that she, and this pink haired girl bear a common heart. Some nights, when her scar throbs foreboding a coming rain, she wonders what has become of that girl's fate. 

 Now, seeing her laugh openly to seemingly what Sasuke had just said and  the latter taking perverse pleasure that he could , is a testament to how she still doesn't know much about these two's past. She didn't miss it, his almost grin, the telltale sign of pride over an unexpected victory . 

Karin feels suddenly out of place, like she somehow does not belong in her own skin. She feels her too tight skirt, the zits on her chin, the sweat under her arms, at the back of her knees, her red locks making it difficult to blend in . She takes a step back, turning away from the scene. There is an inexplicable urge to look back, but she squares her shoulders and picks up her steps. The click clack of her heels drowning in the market's cacophony. 

There are lots of things to do with little time to spare . She  makes a mental list of her errands, _procure Orochimaru Sama's snake extracts, buy those trendy diet tonics... They say_  aloe vera facial masks do wonders for one's skin...

She ignores the sudden lump in her throat and _the_ tiny voice that whispers that a page has surely been turned. 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The next time she hears about him was in some seedy underground pub in Kumo. It was a chilly November night. The booze was warm and free flowing . The malt sits perfectly on her tongue. Suigetsu is almost funny.

She was downing her fifth, tenth, who's counting anyway?, when she overhears, "Uchiha Sasuke, got fucking hitched!

Gasps filled the entire room.

A shinobi from on one of the tables, sake on one hand, a Konoha hitai-ate on the other, shouts, " Hide your wives hide your children! The end is nigh!" And then raucous laughter ensues, effectively drowning the sudden news. The next thing she knew she was clutching the shinobi by the collar, demanding that he tells her more. In between hics and slurs he tells her they formally sent their marriage registry a week ago . That they married outside the village. That the elders are in an outrage, demanding an audience with Sasuke and his wife. "Those old crones would have burned Konoha to the ground to make sure Uchihas are never reinstated. And Sasuke-San is a looker but he's also the official village pariah, I mean, who ever would..." , the shinobi takes a long gulp of his beer, "Pah! Guess they didn't count on a woman to ruin their plans" .

She goes back to her seat, the warmth in her belly entirely gone. That tiny voice in her head getting louder,

"It was only matter of time". She turns to Suigetsu sipping his sake casually.

Karin stays mum, unforgivingly sober.

"What?! You really thought he'd ask you to birth his spawns?! I didn't even think he had the capacity to notice a woman?!,

" Suigetsu", Juugo cautions.

" Admit it Juugo, the guy had more pent up anger in his system than a normal male sperm count", Suigetsu did not bother holding his laugh. "Must be one heck of a woman", the Mist shinobi shakes his head still in disbelief.

At this point Karin has heard enough. She stands up from the bar stool, punches Suigetsu so hard, his face explodes into a million droplets. Her teeth rattles from the force she never thought she could muster. They have had many squabbles before, but this is the first time she truly wanted to fight back, to make her hit mean something because words, cusses, just won't suffice. Suigetsu has barely gotten his consciousness back, when Karin addresses the bartender . "He pays.", her tone even, she picks up her bag and walks to the door.

Not sparing the stunned spectators a glance, she runs out of that wretched place, forgetting the most important question she should have asked, who.


	3. Chapter 3

Karin finds herself standing in front of a room in an inn somewhere in the outskirts of Takigakure, currently at a staring match with a wooden door. Many moons have passed since that night in the pub, and Karin's life has slowly turned back in its staccato rhythm. 

Routines have been an anchor in keeping her mind off of certain things. Distance is almost a balm. Unfortunately,  her master had different priorities, her sanity not being one of them. 

So here she is. Six months later. Still  a worn out pawn in this endless game of chess. 

She sighs deeply, wanting nothing more than to be back at her lab, distilling venom and tallying boiling points. What wouldn't she give to have a bottle or two, or twelve, right now. To let the liquid courage fill the hollow in her chest instead of this creeping dread, this overwhelming helplessness. She feels a Chakra, just behind the door, steady in its flows and ebbs. She kicks the door open. 

Orochimaru spares her a look that she at once understood as annoyed. Frankly, she was long past caring about her master's opinion. In fact there is the stubborn need to rebel and retaliate, and demand. It's not a fair trade, to serve a master with a maniacal obsession for self preservation while she hopelessly protects her own. She wanted no part in this. If a broken door is all she'll ever get out of this deal, then hell, she'll take what she can. 

They have just stepped inside the quaint room,the walls painted in faded blue, when a woman starts to speak. 

"I didn't expect any guests today. Forgive me if I didn't brew enough tea . 

Sakura sits behind a kotatsu, a perfect picture of an apologetic hostess sipping her warm tea. There's a deliberate civility in the manner in which she acknowledges them. Considering her master's reputation for assassinating Kages and mutilating bodies, Karin half expected combat upon sight. After all, distrust and bloodlust extend beyond war. That is how every shinobi village makes it's living. Yet Orochimaru bows in front of Sakura a befitting gesture for a guest in audience with his host.

"I offer  my sincerest well wishes on your wedding, Uchiha Sakura. 

Karin ignores the not so subtle look Suigetsu gives her upon recognizing who they came for. She knew the moment they arrived at the inn. She knew the moment Orochimaru came into her lab a few months ago a Konoha-inscribed scroll at hand.

The once legendary sannin continues, " It brings me great comfort to know that the Uchihas will be gracing Konoha's halls once more. Between you and me, the other surviving clans are a genetically boring lot." Orochimaru clearly amused with himself, laughs heartily in short gravelly bursts of breath. Karin has always hated that laugh. It's the kind that raises every fine hair on her neck. It's kind that pulls her instinct to run for safe ground. It's a prelude to his madness. It's distinctly his. 

Noticing Sakura did not join in, he suddenly asks, "Tell me where is your husband? I came to ask him a favor. Sasuke is the most familiar with my ah..negotiations, you see ." As you may recall, I did start him young" . 

Sakura 's eyes flashes with something akin to anger as the cup of tea shatters in her grasp. That practiced calmness now entirely gone "I will tear you limb to limb if you stay another second here. I don't care if you're under probation. Konoha may forgive you but I certainly never will" .

  
Orochimaru takes a good look at this woman with her hardened eyes and her clenched fists, a stark contrast against the soft rose of her hair. A distant memory comes unbidden. A dark forest. Sasuke writhing in pain because of his cursed seal. And in the periphery, pink hair. Fear marring fey green eyes . Twig like arms desperately clutching the boy. " I remember you. " 

  
"You should. "  Sakura retorts, words laced in acid.

  
Karin watches the byplay as her master slowly inches towards the kunoichi, like a snake slithering towards a prey. Except this one doesn't cower, muscles coiled, limbs ready to spring in action, this one will definitely fight back. 

A kunai suddenly flies out of nowhere, narrowly missing Orochimaru's chest, as three huge snakes coil around them. Karin felt a few of her ribs crack under the pressure. The air is becoming heavier by the second. Why is the ground melting?We should have brought Juugo. Can't Suigetsu be useful for once? . She sees her teammate, standing by the door choking on thousands of snakes slithering in and out of his mouth and nose. If Karin's throat is not burning from the lack of air, , she would have thrown up then and there. 

"Ara, is this how you welcome your guests.....Sasuke-kun." She hears her master's disembodied voice from far away. 

  
"Kai. "

  
The room is suddenly back to its normal state. Suigetsu is on all fours, coughing and clutching his throat. Karin finds she can breathe again. She palpates her ribs to check if there are indeed any breaks. She found none.

Genjutsu.It was all a Genjutsu. Uchiha Sasuke just casted a fucking Genjutsu on them

" What the hell, Sasuke?!!", she couldn't help her self. She felt angry. She felt goddamn tired. But most of all, she felt betrayed. By the way Sasuke stands in between them, body shielding his wife from their presence. Since when did they become his enemies? Have the years made her forgiveness t inconsequential? What merit or lack there of deserves such hostility from an old comrade?

  
"State your business." He finally speaks. Sasuke remains firmly in front of his wife, mismatched eyes watching all three of them intently. Karin realized in the space of that years he was gone, a line has been drawn. And she's all alone on the other side, stripped of all those she clung to. His tragedy. His ambition. His past. 

Sasuke... 

Orochimaru clicks his tongue, clearly displeased by his former disciple's tone. He throws him a scroll, "And here I thought you'd be glad to see your old sensei." When Sasuke did not make any move to read the message in front of them it was pretty clear they had overstayed their welcome.

"Manners have never been your strong suit, my boy. Best make sure your child takes after her" , Orochimaru's gaze shifts steadily towards Sakura before flickering out of the room. Suigetsu following suit. The kunoichi visibly stiffens as Sasuke instinctively curls his arm around his wife.

And it all suddenly makes sense. Sakura's territorial behavior. Sasuke's overprotectiveness. In hindsight she couldn't have missed it, that tiny blip of Chakra pulsating against Sakura's very own. She had an inkling Sakura masked her child's Chakra the moment she sensed they were near. If it weren't for her master's revelation, that split second slip of Sakura's control, Karin doubts she would have known.  
  
With this she felt something inside her give. Her heart fluttering in uneven beats. Her mind completely blank. Jelly filled her every joints. 

 

 

Sasuke is a father.   
Sasuke is going to be a father. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto


End file.
